Rumor has it welders were on the Monte Carlo roof doing work right before the fire. This coming directly from CNN reporters. Fox News had by far the best coverage. Kudos to the Vegad FD for doing a nice job putting out the blaze. I've always worried or wondered what would happen in a Vegas Fire since the old MGM now Bally's fire of 1980.

The new sprinkler systems worked quite well and fire crews did a nice job.

You're joking, right?

The local news here spent an inordinate amount of time debunking false reports aired on Fox News.

The local news here spent an inordinate amount of time debunking false reports aired on Fox News.

I was talking about the live coverage FOX News provided of the actual fire. I'm not talking about false speculation, just making the casino fire the most important story. CNN was running election coverage during much of the fire.

It's been confirmed by multiple sources that welders were working on the roof of the Monte Carlo prior to the fire.

I was talking about the live coverage FOX News provided of the actual fire. I'm not talking about false speculation, just making the casino fire the most important story. CNN was running election coverage during much of the fire.

It's been confirmed by multiple sources that welders were working on the roof of the Monte Carlo prior to the fire.

In retrospect, CNN made the right call. The actual fire damage appears to be incredibly superficial. According to local reports, the fire was limited to the EIFS facade and no rooms caught on fire.

If EIFS is that flammable it should be banned on tall buildings. The fire spread really fast sideways.
If it had started at the bottom of the building the entire structure would have been engulfed in a matter of minutes.

Anyway, while running around trying to get shots of the fire, I spotted a new tower crane at Caesars.

You bet that stuff is flammable...Just look at what happened in Atlantic City a few months back.

The cladding of a new 40 story casino tower at the Borgata caught fire on the ground floor. The blaze toasted the building ground to roof within minutes. Luckily it was still under construction at the time.

Pics below are from AC11 and can be found by following the below link...the pics are in the middle of the page:

So...how long does everyone expect it will take the Monte Carlo to replace the damaged EIFS panels and look good as new?

Followup, do you think in the aftermath of the fire builders will stop using EIFS and switch to real masonry facades?

i was watching the live interview with the buildings inspector for clark county and from what i could gather; he was saying the entire facade on the monte carlo would have to be replaced because the current facade doesn't comply with up-to-date building standards as its too thick (4 inches too thick i believe he said)

making a list of hotels on the strip with an EIFS facade i came up with
excalibur???
New York??
monte carlo
planet hollywood
paris
bellagio
caesars
venetian

i was watching the live interview with the buildings inspector for clark county and from what i could gather; he was saying the entire facade on the monte carlo would have to be replaced because the current facade doesn't comply with up-to-date building standards as its too thick (4 inches too thick i believe he said)

Well, if that's the case, I wonder if they'll reclad it with a glass curtain wall in the City Center vibe.

i was watching the live interview with the buildings inspector for clark county and from what i could gather; he was saying the entire facade on the monte carlo would have to be replaced because the current facade doesn't comply with up-to-date building standards as its too thick (4 inches too thick i believe he said)

making a list of hotels on the strip with an EIFS facade i came up with
excalibur???
New York??
monte carlo
planet hollywood
paris
bellagio
caesars
venetian

I guess they're going to have to switch to all glass like the Luxor, Mandalay Bay and the new Trump Tower. Vancover BC had a different problem with their condos all made of fake stucco. It costs billions to replace over 100 20+ story condo towers because of water leaks and water damage. The fire problem in the hot Vegas desert is scrary.

I should also point out that due to the 24-7 building approach of Las Vegas, quality control often times suffers. I have a picture of my last stay in the Hotel Mandalay. The wallpaper was not properly installed and baseboard was not properly laid. The toilet was not pressure assisted, instead using gravity flush. Very fine materials were used in the hotel though.

From what I have been reading, it seems EIFS is a huge component of very hotel built since The Mirage.

Even hotels like Wynn Las Vegas, with floor to ceiling windows, use it (white stripes on the building), from what I can tell.

Now, as someone that knows virtually nothing about EIFS, are all EIFS materials created equal? I mean, are the bits that were cast for Monte Carlo likely the same as something that would have been installed at The Palazzo? My understanding is that foam thickness standards have been toughened - is that the big difference these days?

From what I have been reading, it seems EIFS is a huge component of very hotel built since The Mirage.

Even hotels like Wynn Las Vegas, with floor to ceiling windows, use it (white stripes on the building), from what I can tell.

Now, as someone that knows virtually nothing about EIFS, are all EIFS materials created equal? I mean, are the bits that were cast for Monte Carlo likely the same as something that would have been installed at The Palazzo? My understanding is that foam thickness standards have been toughened - is that the big difference these days?

Obviously the thicker the polystyrene the more combustible material. Also it is supposed to be treated with fire retardants ..possible this wasn't and possible that it deteriorated over time. There is much controversy about how safe it is as cladding However our eyes do not deceive us. It also seems that eventually the fire put itself out rather than by any water from the LVSFD as they got hoses up there later. Also the fire didn't spread down the building.
The main question is what would have happen if this started on lower floors.

Great shots drobar! Looks like you got there before I did. In the first photo you can see a fire fighter shooting water across the middle while the flames were still raging. Also you can see where falling embers had started new fires on a ledge further down.